


dream of me

by insoobnia



Series: MAGIC: OT5 magical realism love story [1]
Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Canon compliant but not exactly, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Magical Realism, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, background sookai, everything soft and pure because taegyu deserves it, hints of OT5, taehyunnie is the smart cookie of the bunch, there's a tiny bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23764441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insoobnia/pseuds/insoobnia
Summary: Beomgyu has been able to visit people in dreams since he was in the 5th grade, or maybe even before that, he’s not exactly sure.So maybe he’s had this ability since he was born, but he only remembers from that age forward. Despite that, it’s only recently that he started realizing to what extent this “blessing” of his is actually more of a curse.Or, Beomgyu's been dreading going to sleep since all he can think about is Taehyun and his unfortunate crush. If only he could stop disrupting his friend's dreams... or just, stop liking him so much?
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun
Series: MAGIC: OT5 magical realism love story [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1809172
Comments: 35
Kudos: 320





	1. Beomgyu's curse

Beomgyu has been able to visit people in dreams since he was in the 5th grade, or maybe even before that, he’s not exactly sure. He remembers his mother telling him about how he would make weird sounds as a toddler in his sleep and how he wanted to spend all day taking naps even at the age where most kids wanted to play past their bedtime. So maybe he’s had this ability since he was born, but he only remembers from that age forward. Despite that, it’s only recently that he started realizing to what extent this “blessing” of his is actually more of a curse. 

All the members know that he's the kind of person who would rather sleep than eat, but they don't know the real reason behind this preference, and he likes to keep it that way. Sometimes he will even talk while asleep because his dreams are so vivid, and Beomgyu has considered sharing his secret, but then he figures that it is not that deep or important to require sharing. Would they even believe him? It’s kind of weird, but there’s not much difference between a lucid dream to what he does so… What would even be the point of telling them? They might think he’s either lying or crazy.

Usually, he doesn't have much of a choice in terms to who he's visiting in his dreams (it used to be people who are physically nearby, mostly his parents, neighbors, and friends whenever he had a sleepover), but he has absolute power about what he does in them and it somehow influences in his real-life too. He thinks it's a little like having a second life, and it comes in handy sometimes.

Like when he got in a fight with Soobin about his messiness and apologized profusely in his dream, and even though the older didn't really understand why he was feeling so inclined to forgive him the next day (since they had already resolved everything during the night), he was smiling at him and admitting his faults as soon as they saw each other in the morning.

Sometimes he tells Yeonjun his preferences for lunch and the next day the older would be craving it so badly that they end up buying it for the entire team.

He also plays games with Huening Kai and makes sure to keep his nightmares at bay, and it would normally only take mentioning his plushies or their leader for the bad and scary things to stir away from Kai’s mind, leaving a smiley and peaceful maknae behind. 

Honestly, he keeps _all_ of his members protected from nightmares, and he makes sure their dreams, no matter how weird, don't get too bad so they can have a proper rest. Soobin even once mentioned that ever since living together with the guys he’s had the best rest of his life. He attributes it to being too tired to _not_ sleep soundly because of their hectic schedule, but Beomgyu knows better. It’s something he’s particularly proud of, but can’t brag about.

And then there’s Taehyun, he really is something else in Beomgyu’s opinion. His dreams are his favorite, and most of the time he doesn't interfere in them too much because they are just so beautiful and calm, like a movie or a documentary full of natural landscapes and poetry-turned-into-images. Sometimes the younger dreams of having a picnic by a cliff, and skies so clear that you can see galaxies, other times he dreams of flowers that give you compliments, people with cat eyes and literal clown shoes, missing a train to the market, sharing a sunset with the members while wearing onesies that look way too much like Huening Kai’s plushies. The thing is, he feels so at ease when he talks to Taehyun in his dreams, and his friend who is usually prone to be wise and oh-so-mature becomes so youthful at those times too. He asks for his advice about silly things like what hobby should he take on next, _how do you even tie a bow tie?_ _do you think dolphins are actually vicious creatures or is it just that they act too human-like?_ _Do you think I’d have been a better magician or a wizard?_

Sometimes he seems shy, and he looks at Beomgyu like he has all the answers in the universe with those starry eyes of his. As a result, it makes _him_ feel shy. It’s unfair, because Taehyun is not going to remember their conversations the next day, and Beomgyu feels like there’s a relationship between them that’s being built on an uneven ground. 

It’s a little bit like this: one night they manage to come to a great answer as to why Yeonjun hides his sketchbook so urgently from them, or make an inside joke that’s just too good not to use, but then he can’t say it in real life to tease their friends or make a comment about it. Or Taehyun would rest in his arms and talk to him about missing his family, and then he has to act like he doesn’t understand why the younger looks so distant and nostalgic the very next day. 

He also feels like he’s getting more attached to Taehyun than what Taehyun is to him. And it’s so dumb of him because he knows he’s falling in love, but he can’t help but continue to visit him in his sleep. 

When he was younger he wasn’t actually able to control it, but now, if he really wants to visit a particular person’s dreams he just has to visualize it with as much focus as possible before falling asleep. He did that for a long while, visiting Taehyun almost every night, but not anymore (or at least, not intentionally). He tries to think of any other member, but his mind always betrays him a few moments before he slips into unconsciousness.

That’s what’s been giving him the most trouble lately, not dance practice or the feeling of having to give his most for a performance, instead is the feeling of living a pretty lie that makes him feel so stressed out. It’s his own fault, really, but he wishes the younger would look at him the way he does in his dreams.

That’s also why his sleep schedule is so fucked up lately. He’s been playing games at night with Soobin to avoid going to bed too early and accidentally visiting Taehyun. He’s been taking naps during the day so he can avoid being asleep at the same time as his friend. It’s getting tiring really fast. 

Today is an especially bad day for him since the words Taehyun said to him last night (a few hours ago) are still lingering in his mind: _There’s this boy I like, what do you think I should do about it?_

It sucks, for many reasons and on many levels. But it mostly just sucks for him. He’s not naive enough to think that his friend is interested in him, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked for _his_ advice. And honestly, he’s just such a straightforward guy that he would have already done something about it, maybe even made a move, if he really liked Beomgyu as anything other than a friend. So what. His best friend is interested in a boy, he should be supportive, right? Maybe he should have considered this in terms of being a risk for their careers, or in terms of how society still has fairly traditional (read: archaic) views of love and relationships. But no, he didn’t say shit. 

_Oh, okay. Tell him, maybe?_

Not his most brilliant move, but he can’t change anything about it now, can he? If he’s lucky enough, Taehyun will not remember a thing about his dream. Or he could remember everything and feel encouraged to do something that a supposedly figment of his imagination (read: Beomgyu) told him and just go for it and have a great romance and Beomgyu will just have to accept it and support him because he’s a good friend and he values friendships way more than stupid crush-like feelings. 

It’s not that bad, honestly. So why can’t he stop crying? He should be happy.

Taehyun has a crush! It’s good, he’s so good, he deserves to feel love. And obviously this guy, no matter how straight he might potentially think he is, is going to fall head over heels for his friend, because Taehyun is just lovely like that. And he knows he’s a secretly hopeless romantic, so this crush of his doesn’t stand a chance against his charms.

  
  



	2. What's wrong with you?

It doesn’t take more than a few days for his friends to catch up and notice something is wrong with him, but he dodges their inquisitive looks and questions like a pro.

He tries to steer clear of these negative thoughts he’s had since the revelation of Taehyun’s crush, but it’s hard. Who is the guy? Is it someone from his class? It could technically be even one of his friends from school, and that somehow just makes him feel even worse. What kind of person is he? Is he straightforward and smart like Taehyun? Maybe a little shy and irresistibly cute, like Kai? Is he loud but caring, like Yeonjun? Unintentionally funny like Soobin? Does Taehyun even have a type?

He thinks his own type would be someone who grounds him, that allows him to just be himself, whether he’s feeling energetic or more subdued, someone who listens but can also talk a lot. Someone cute, too. He likes people who are funny, and that make him question things about life. Or maybe, his type is just Taehyun, because he certainly doesn’t remember ever knowing or liking someone like he just described before him.

Dumb. It’s so dumb. He should just talk to him, clear up any misunderstandings, maybe even confess and be done with it. But that’s even harder, isn’t it? Rejection sucks, even in dream-life it would suck.

“Is it really that interesting?” he hears Taehyun ask, startling him. He didn’t notice he was spacing out, again. He realizes he’s been staring at his phone for who knows how long, and there isn’t even a funny video playing, he was looking at an article about moths becoming less attracted to lights in the city. 

“Huh?” he says, dumbly. Because if there is something that he is, is consistent. “No, I mean… I guess?”

“You guess it’s interesting?” he asks confused, but he can see the corner of his mouth lifting up.

“Hm… You know, moths and… evolution, interesting stuff like that” he says, suddenly smiling. Ah, his mood gets better so easily when he’s around this guy. Go figure.

“I thought you were scared of moths, though?” He asks, definitely smiling at him now.

“Exactly! I need to know more about them, in case they become these super evolutionary advanced creatures so I can avoid them more than I already do” He reasons that what he’s saying actually makes sense. And if not, Taehyun will just laugh with him and let him be.

“That makes no sense, and you don’t avoid them. You just scream until Yeonjun-hyung gets rid of them” he teases him, but he knows the younger is exactly like him.

“Well, maybe if you were brave enough, I would come to you to save me from those disgusting things” He pokes his tongue out, just because.

He expects him to just laugh along with him, maybe punch him on the arm, but instead he looks perplexed.

“Would you like that?”

_Huh?_

“Guys, I need you to stop lazing around and come help with dinner, we can’t just ask take-out everyday” He hears Yeonjun calling from the kitchen.

And that’s that on that. Or so he thought.

* * *

_This time around they are in the practice room, which is not so uncommon for Taehyun to dream about. They are just going over the title track for the comeback over and over again, and normally he would hate this kind of dream, but right now he appreciates the reinforcement. It’s like getting work done without the physical exhaustion; and he can avoid the imminent conversation about Taehyun’s crush like he’s been doing these past days (or nights, should he say?)._

_“Do you find guys who are brave attractive?” Taehyun asks out of nowhere._

_“What?” he misses a step, suddenly turning to look back at him._

_“Like, you know…” He doesn’t continue, and instead fiddles with the collar of his hoodie._

_“I actually don’t know” Beomgyu tilts his head, trying to understand why his friend is avoiding his gaze all of sudden, “You mean like a stereotypical alpha male kind of brave? Or like… someone who pushes through his fears?”_

_“Neither, or both, I guess.” Taehyun looks just as confused as he is, frowning at himself. “Sorry, I’m not making any sense”._

_He really isn’t, but Beomgyu knows him well enough to understand that this is important to him._

_“Is this about your crush?” he asks tentatively, even if it hurts to bring up to conversation. Taehyun looks up immediately, eyes wide._

_Got you._

_“Would you like someone who is brave and catches bugs for you, for example?” He ends up whispering, but Beomgyu hears him nonetheless. And that, that is unexpected._

_“That’s…” He can’t finish because he’s suddenly laughing hard and loud, so much that he falls to the ground. He tries to recompose himself quickly so the other doesn’t think he’s laughing at him, but he catches his face anyway and notices he’s pouting. How cute._

_“Is that what this is about?” He asks with mirth in his eyes, “Taehyun-ah, whoever your guy is… he’s not going to care about silly stuff like that, is he? Do you think he would like you any less just because you’re scared of bugs?”_

_“It’s not that I think he would like me less, but maybe he would like me more?” He asks curiously, and sits next to Beomgyu._

_“I see… I guess that could be possible. But Tae, you’re already such a brave person, I think it just makes you more endearing to have silly fears like that” he admits, trying to keep the softness of his words from slipping, but he does a poor job at that._

_“Oh, that’s good, then” Taehyun snorts to himself, and then, he rests his head on Beomgyu’s shoulder and smiles. Things feel right this way, Beomgyu thinks, so he doesn’t push for more and instead enjoys the moment of peace before fictitious Malibu teacher calls them back to practice._

* * *

The next day Taehyun is in a really good mood, which means he’s slightly touchier and clingier than usual. And Beomgyu? He can’t help but love the attention, especially when they are having lunch at the dorms and the younger is just all pressed up against his side despite having a lot of space at the table. 

“And you guys say that Huening Kai and Soobin are the gums, this is getting ridiculous” Yeonjun complains with a mouth full of rice while pointing at them with his chopsticks.

“But they are!” Beomgyu immediately replies, knowing that unless he takes the attention off of them right away, Taehyun might actually listen to Yeonjun and give him some dreaded space.

“He’s the gum!” Soobin frowns, acting like he’s actually offended. And Kai, like usual, follows along and teases back. At this point, the conversation that follows is really predictable, with just the two of them in their own world, annoying each other jokingly until someone asks them to stop or until they get bored. The distraction is enough for Beomgyu to relax again, and he turns to look at Taehyun, who looks more amused than worried. That’s good.

He wants to reassure him that he enjoys being touched by him, but he doesn’t know how to say it without making it weird or too serious, so he just ruffles his hair and tries to convey it with a smile.

“Ah, hyung, if you’re going to get this sappy, I will just go to Huening from now on” Taehyun teases him, but it actually manages to bother him.

“Hey! How’s that fair? I didn’t even say anything” He whines, and considers for a second that Taehyun might actually be a mind reader. It would make a lot of sense, honestly.


	3. Can't you see me?

_There’s something unusual about this dream, and he can’t quite pinpoint exactly what it is right away, but the first thing he notices as he enters the dream is a piercing sound. It’s a high-pitched ringing that doesn’t let him focus on his surroundings; the only thing that he knows for certain is that he’s at the beach. Not at any beach, but the one they visited before debut and around the time of their first showcases in America. Except that is not, or not entirely since this one seems bigger, and the sea has a little bit of a pink tint, and there’s no one around. Beomgyu looks at his surroundings in worry, trying to figure out whose dream this is, but it’s so desolated that he doesn’t even know where to begin looking for._

_It’s weird, not being able to listen to the waves makes it feel eery, it’s just that ringing noise and the wind._

_“Hello? Anyone here?” He tries to bring attention to himself by raising his arms above his head and screaming._

_There’s no one, still. No one answers, either._

_He raises his voice and asks again, but it doesn’t change a thing. Beomgyu could enjoy this dream if it wasn’t for the noise, since the scenery is pretty, even with the grey sky._

_“Hyung?” He turns around when he hears a voice, it’s Taehyun’s, but he can’t see him yet._

_“Taehyunie?”_

_“Why are you here?” He turns around, looking for his friend but the weather is getting worse, it’s cold and foggy like it’s seconds away from pouring rain. One moment he can see the beach and the next he can barely see what’s right in front of him thanks to the heavy mist. “What do you mean why am I here? Where are you?”_

_“You’re not supposed to be here”_

_“Taehyun-ah, please tell me where you are”_

_“I’m right here” And as he hears these words, a shadow appears around him. It takes a second for his mind to realize that it’s a wave that’s about to swallow him whole, a second too late, because after he looks above everything turns black._

_Beomgyu is spinning and he can’t reach out for anything to keep him from rolling over and over, it’s too fast and he’s hitting himself against the sand and the little pieces of shells that lay there. He feels a sharp pain, having had scrapped his knee against a rock, the sea taking him away without showing any signs of letting him go. No signs of mercy, either, since he can’t breathe and he feels the cold to the bone. He hates the cold, being cold and wet it’s just about the worse it can get for him, or so he thought before this nightmare because with every second that he continues not breathing he gets more and more anxious. Why doesn’t it stop? His heart is beating so fast and loud he can no longer hear the ringing. Beomgyu tries to imagine himself somewhere else but it doesn’t work, he can’t find anything to turn things around. From the corner of his eye, something catches his attention. Someone, not something. Taehyun._

_He screams in fear, forgetting he’s underwater when he sees the boy pale and unmoving, almost buried in the sand. He chokes on the water and starts moving his limbs desperately in all directions, trying to move closer to the bottom where his friend lays._

Beomgyu wakes up startled, a whimper caught in his throat, his chest heaving and hands shaking. This has never happened before, nightmares are not supposed to be like this, he’s supposed to be able to change them at will. There are so many worries going through his mind and they don’t seem to stop, recalling every second of the dream and trying to figure out why he couldn’t control what was happening, his heart feels like it’s about to jump out of his chest. 

Then he feels something wet against his neck, making him jump slightly, scared of the cold wet feeling. But he’s no longer in that dream, and when he brings his hand to his face in confusion, he notices that he’s crying. When did that even happen? 

“Taehyun” His voice cracks as he whispers in a sudden realization. He gets out of his bed so fast he makes himself dizzy, but he can’t bring himself to care about that or about waking up Soobin with the noise he’s making at the moment. He needs to see the younger, is it possible for him to still be in a dreaming state? He gets out of the room without even trying to be quiet as he clumsily hits himself with the furniture in his way and goes straight into the room that the younger ones share. The door makes an annoying chirring sound, and Beomgyu cringes from the entrance, but it seems like Huening is still fast asleep, and so is Taehyun at first sight. 

He sighs, suddenly aware of where he is and what he is doing, which is, stepping into his friend’s room in the middle of the night with no lights on and staring creepily from the door. For some reason, he can’t seem to calm down. Not even now that he has prove that everything is ok, but is it really? The longer he stares from the door, the scarier it gets how still Taehyun is, just like in the dream. Without actual thought, he’s moving already, bringing a hand to Taehyun’s face and noticing his breathing is barely there, which startles him out of his passive state to immediately start shaking the younger’s body in order to wake him up.

Taehyun sits up abruptly when he awakens, grabbing his arm with a grip that would surely leave marks if he didn’t let go right away. He lets go of Beomgyu as if realizing what he’s doing a moment too late. “Hyung, Beomgyu-hyung, you are okay” Is the first thing he says, with a raspy voice from lack of use, and he seems out of it, which makes sense for someone who’s just woken up from a nightmare, but there’s something more to it, something desperate in his tone. But Beomgyu doesn’t care to see beyond this instant, he has a priority, and that is to see that Taehyun is safe and sound and out of dreamland.

“I am, so are you” He whispers, his hand moving from Taehyun’s face to the back of his neck, rubbing circles in order to calm him (both of them, really) down. They stay like that for what feels like hours, in complete silence staring at each other in the darkness while their hearts reach their normal pace. Beomgyu is sitting by the side of the bed now, his hand still caressing the back of Taehyun’s neck absentmindedly. The younger has turned on his side to look at him in the eye, his breathing steady and audible.

“I’m sorry for waking you up, I thought you were having a nightmare...” He tries to explain his reasoning in a way that doesn’t sound too absurd but he doesn’t know how to follow up that sentence anymore. How would it make sense when they don’t even share a room, he has no idea, but his mind is too caught up in the fact that Taehyun is fine, and that’s all that really matters to him right now.

“I… I was, thank you” He whispers back, closing his eyes and finally letting his body relax once again against the mattress. Beomgyu moves his hand out of the way, content seeing that the younger seems ready to rest once again. 

“I will go now, then” He starts to get up, but before he can move away Taehyun grabs him by the shirt, in a way that almost seems uncharacteristically shy.

“Uhm” His eyes are wide open, staring at Beomgyu like the older is about to commit a crime, “Could you stay?”

“You mean…?”

“Yeah, or… If you don’t…”

“No, it’s ok. I get it” He reassures him right away, “Make room then”. Truth be told, he didn’t want to leave either way. Especially after seeing how scary Taehyun’s nightmares could get, he doesn’t think he’s going back to sleep. He’s never had to deal with something like this before, nightmares are irrational and loosely based on real events. They are never this detailed, or coherent, there’s always something out of place that you can hold onto to turn it into something funny or more light-hearted. It’s all about the feeling though, anything can be a nightmare if the feeling it gives you makes you feel afraid.

“How did you know?” Taehyun asks him when they find a comfortable position to lay beside each other, already covered up to their shoulders.

“About what?” He plays dumb, trying to come up with something believable.

“The nightmare” The younger answers too quickly for him to come up with a lie.

“Intuition, I guess? I don’t know, I woke up and just felt like I needed to see you” It’s not entirely true, but not a lie either.

“You’re really something else, hyung”, Taehyun admits with a small smile, like he finds the situation funny somehow.

“Oh, thank you? I think?” It confuses him a little, how easy he’s just accepting his bullshit answer.

“It’s a compliment, take it. I just meant… if there was anyone who would be able to sense I was having a nightmare, it would be you. It sounds just like you”.

He feels heat rising on his cheeks, so he turns his head to the side, trying to hide it. He hums in response, embarrassed about how good it makes him feel to be seen in that light by Taehyun when it wasn’t even something to make a big deal out of. He’s always been a little sentimental, and bad at receiving compliments, especially when it comes from people he values. It’s warm. He likes this feeling, so he shifts closer to him, limbs getting in the way, but soon enough they are holding each other more comfortably. He could fall asleep like this, despite his previous worries. 

“Hm. I’m sorry for keeping you here, I just don’t want to be alone in case I have another nightmare” Taehyun murmurs against his neck, making goosebumps rise on his skin.

“Don’t worry, Taehyunie, I don’t think I’d have been able to go back to sleep peacefully after…”

“After what?”

“Ah, just ignore me”

The other huffs, “You’re being dumb again. What is it?”. 

Beomgyu is barely conscious at this point, the rush of adrenaline leaving him tired and sluggish after having felt such intense emotions in such a short period of time.

“You remember what you said? about your crush liking you better if you were braver?” he says without much thought, not noticing how Taehyun stiffens on his hold, “I think my crush would like me better if I was like that too”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowow, I stopped writing for a long while I almost forgot I was writing this, but then last night I remembered and got a rush of motivation to continue. It's close to the end, and I was thinking it would be better to read this in one go, but the last chapter is not finished yet hehe.  
> I hope if you're reading this, that you like it!  
> Have a nice weekend, everyone!


	4. You’re so dense, honestly.

> _“You remember what you said? about your crush liking you better if you were braver?” he says without much thought, not noticing how Taehyun stiffens on his hold, “I think my crush would like me better if I was like that too”._

He doesn’t get an answer to that, because he falls asleep as soon as he finishes speaking. Almost immediately forgetting ever saying anything at all.

The next morning is weird, Beomgyu doesn’t get why though. Nothing awkward happened last night, that he’s aware of. They’ve had all cuddled before, so why is Taehyun acting like this? When he woke up, the younger was already up and about, getting ready despite having a “late” schedule for the day. So Beomgyu, obviously, lets himself linger a little bit longer in the comfort of Taehyun’s bed before following his example.

At breakfast, Beomgyu was eating little as usual, and every once in a while he would feel a stare piercing through the back of his head only to turn and see Taehyun looking the other way. It’s obvious he was staring at him, but why? And he’s the most discrete guy he’s ever met before, so this is really out of character for him.

He could blame it on them barely getting enough sleep the night before, but it can’t be just that, Taehyun is known for being simultaneously a late-night owl and an early-rising bird. Even Yeonjun notices something is off.

“What’s with the side-eye glances? Did you do something to Aengdu?” He asks him on the van when they are on their way to pre-record and perform for a music show. The two of them are sharing the van with some of the staff, while the rest of the members are in the car following behind.

“I didn’t!” Beomgyu feels offended at the accusation, just because he wasn’t all on board with having a snake for a pet doesn’t mean he would intentionally try to hurt Aengdu, or Taehyun, for that matter. He’s all about loving animals, despite them being scary or whatever. 

“Then why was he staring at you like that?” Yeonjun asks tilting his head to the side, a slight frown on his face. “I mean if stares could kill…”

“I know, I know. I noticed too” He admits in defeat, trying to come up with something. “I really don’t know, did I hog all the blankets or something? But Taehyun-ah wouldn’t be all… silent if it was like that”.

“I wouldn’t say silent, he’s like… awkward?” Yeonjun is right, actually, but “awkward” is not a word one would put in the same sentence with “Taehyun”. That is what makes it weird. “Did you sleep together?” The older asks him teasingly, knowing how to get a rise out of Beomgyu.

“Ya! Don’t say it like that, you make it sound weird” He complains as he feels his ears heating up. “I don’t think that’s the problem, he asked me to”.

“He asked you to sleep with him?!” Yeonjun actually jumps in surprise, looking at him with those intense eyes that make you feel like he’s seeing right through you. “And watch your tone”, he says as an afterthought, pouting in a way that makes you wonder if he really is the oldest of the group.

“I told you to stop saying it like that!” Beomgyu is not above whining, his face must be entirely red at this point. He pats his cheeks only to feel the heat and get even more self-conscious. Why does the older enjoy embarrassing him so much?!

“I didn’t even…! That was all you, by the way. I’m just curious, he is cute and affectionate with us once in a while” It seems like Yeonjun is contemplating his next words carefully, “but it’s not common for him to ask for it”.

“You’re right, maybe that’s it. He must be embarrassed about asking me to stay with him, or maybe about the nightmare? That sounds more likely” Beomgyu ends up talking to himself, distracted, but Yeonjun is still listening and hums in response.

“He had a nightmare? what about?” 

“Hm… He didn’t tell me” He answers truthfully, even though he actually knows first hand what the nightmare was like. 

Having talked to Yeonjun eases his mind, so he decides to let it go. Taehyun will get back to normal in no time, is what he tells himself. But see and behold, he’s wrong about that too. 

* * *

Beomgyu is usually grateful to spend an entire day with the guys working together, but right now he really wishes it was just Taehyun and him because the tension is getting worse and worse with every repetition of the choreography and they really need to talk it out before it starts heavily affecting their performance.

They don’t even look at each other all that much when they dance, they avoid it in order to keep up with their idol persona and because there’s just too much to focus on yourself to have the time to look at someone else, but today the younger is looking at him. All. The. Time. It’s not good for his heart, or his professional act. The worse part is that Taehyun isn’t even the one making mistakes, he continues perfectly hitting the notes and the beat in between the staring matches. Beomgyu, on the other hand, is getting more and more flustered every time, and he’s a perfectionist, he can’t deal with this lackluster version of himself. He needs to get it together. This was the one thing he promised himself when he started realizing that he was falling for the younger. _It’s all okay as long as you don’t let it interfere with the group._

They finish the last run-through, and just as the song is ending he looks back at Taehyun for a second and loses his footing. He curses inwardly, closing his eyes to avoid looking at the disappointment on his member’s face.

“Beomgyu-ah, are you ok?” He hears Soobin calling his name softly, approaching him quickly while the others follow suit. He nods, letting his head hang for a second longer before getting up and cleaning some invisible dust off his pants.

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” He hears Huening Kai scream to cheer him up, the absolute angel that he is. But he can’t forgive himself for this, he’s better than this. 

“We can do it once again after a break” He feels Yeonjun squeezing his shoulder, “Right, guys?”. Everyone agrees, but Beomgyu doesn’t say a thing. There’s only one thing on his mind, and that is reaching closure with Taehyun.

The moment they let them go to the waiting room, he goes after Taehyun with a blank mind. The thing is, he can’t find him, which is ridiculous, they were together less than five minutes ago, where could’ve he even disappeared to? He asks their manager, stylists, even random people on the hall, but no one seems to know. 

The bathroom was empty, too. He curses under his breath, this is not going how we wanted it to be. The plan was to get this over quickly and get back to normal for the live show. 

When he catches sight of a red-haired guy from the corner of his eye, he almost squeaks. There he is. Beomgyu picks up the pace to catch up to him, quickly grabbing him by the wrist and yanking him into the closest room nearby before Taehyun can even say a thing about it. The room they’ve entered is thankfully empty, even if it seems like it was recently occupied, with leftover water bottles and the light still being on.

“Hyung!” He looks as surprised as Beomgyu was when he was told he was part of the debut team after just getting into the company. That makes him smile for a split second, but he’s here for business. 

“Taehyun-ah, I need you to be upfront with me, ok?” He doesn’t beat around the bush, looking to the side he notices the clock on the wall; he has four minutes to do this.

The younger looks awfully cute with that confused but worried expression on his face. He nods at him, but the way he’s biting his lower lip tells him Taehyun is actually feeling nervous about the situation he’s been put on.

“There are two things, actually” He starts, before deciding that maybe he shouldn’t bombard him with all of it at once, “Or not, whatever. There’s no time right now, so maybe just… Why are you staring at me so much?”

“Oh” The younger’s shoulder sag, like all the tension in his body, is suddenly leaving. “That’s… I will stop now, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable”.

“That’s... not what I asked, but yes, please do” Beomgyu starts relaxing too, now that he’s got one less thing to worry about. And the most important at the moment, since they have to be on stage pretty soon. “And it’s not that it makes me uncomfortable, you know you could never make me feel like that, it’s just distracting. And being distracted is not… ideal” He states the obvious.

Taehyun nods but stays quiet, his brows furrowing. 

That will not do. There are 3 minutes left still. 

“Ok, that’s the other thing. Or the same thing, really.” Even if he doesn’t want to complain, it’s infuriating not being able to understand what’s going on on his mind. “Ever since this morning, you’ve been acting really weird around me, and it’s not just me who has noticed it. If there’s anything that I’ve done or said, please let me know so I can apologize or do something about it. Just tell me the truth, are you mad at me?”.

Taehyun’s mouth is hanging open, which would be hilarious in any other context, but not now. Even if it is quite the feat to leave Kang Taehyun speechless. 

Beomgyu anxiously starts biting his lip too, looking at the clock for a split second once again.

“You think I’m…? You’re the one that…!” Taehyun honest to god groans and starts pacing around the room, “This is your fault, why didn’t you tell me that you knew?!” he raises his voice all of sudden, and it leaves Beomgyu perplexed.

“That I knew what, exactly?” 

“About everything! the dreams, the crush, everything!” Taehyun looks like he’s seconds away from crying, which freaks him out in the worst way possible, making him stumble to try and calm him down. 

“Taehyunie, what?” He places his hands on both of his shoulders to stop him from moving around and look at him, trying to understand what’s going on. He feels like he’s missing a really important piece of information.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you knew? Did you pity me that much?” The words sound so wrong coming out of Taehyun’s mouth, but he still can’t understand a thing so he doesn’t stop him from speaking his mind. “I know I should be more concerned about the fact that it was _actually you_ in my dreams, but I just… if you knew I liked you, why didn’t you reject me straight to my face? You laughed at me!”

Ok, wow. Stop right there, let him hear that again. He did hear that right, right?!

“When did I…? How did you know about the…? You like me?!” His mind is going in so many different directions at the same time and there’s no way he’s going to be able to untangle all of his thoughts at this moment.

“When I told you about wanting to be brave for you, you laughed, there’s no way you didn’t know! I literally told you that night, or not literally, but you get what I’m saying” He starts rambling at him, voice growing strained, and Beomgyu finally starts connecting the dots.

“You were talking about me, the bug thing, you wanted to… for me? I’m the crush?” If he thought his heart couldn’t beat faster than what it did last night, he could have not been more wrong. The rush of hope just has to be showing on his face, because he’s never felt this happy, this exhilarated in his entire life. Ok, maybe when they debuted, but this feels different; it’s a different type of joy.

Suddenly there’s someone pushing the door wide open, the door hitting loudly against the wall and making the pair jump apart. Oh no, Beomgyu realizes suddenly that they’ve used up all their time of the break. This is the worst timing.

“There you are! You have to go now, everyone is waiting for you!” The staff member that opened the door looks frantic and doesn’t let them even a second for thought before she’s rushing them out of the room and guiding them to the side of the stage.

A second before they join the members, Beomgyu leans into Taehyun’s ear, whispering what he’s been wanting to say for months now: “You got it all wrong, I’m the one with the crush on you”.

He climbs the stairs faster after saying that, leaving a dumbfounded boy behind. And all things considered, they break the stage. He might be feeling the rush of his not so unrequited love actually liking him back, but he can surely tell that this time they did so much better live than during practice. He’s proud, and maybe a little bit too in love because he can’t stop smiling after they’re done and people finish congratulating them, not even on the way back home when Soobin starts looking at him weirdly. 

“What’s with you today? You were all distracted in the morning and then scarily focused and precise live, and now… kind of smiling like a psycho” Soobin finishes, he looks like he’s trying to figure him out, but Beomgyu gives him nothing. He’s actually internally shaking with energy, he can’t wait to be alone with Taehyun and figure everything out. Maybe he didn’t plan on confiding his secret… curse? blessing? power? but he’s feeling pretty optimistic if the other has already just accepted it without questioning how irrational it really sounds being able to visit people in dreams.

* * *

After taking a much-needed shower, he waits for Taehyun in his bed. Huening Kai seems surprised to see him there, “You’re sleeping here again?” he asks him with a smile, he also seems in a good mood after today’s success.

“Hm”, He agrees easily, “I have to talk about something with Taehyunie”.

The maknae looks at him with understanding, “Do you need me to leave you two alone for a while? I can sleep with Soobinie-hyung”.

The thought hadn’t actually crossed his mind, but now that he’s offering. “Oh! that would be great, actually. Only if it doesn’t bother you, Ning” He doesn’t want to kick him out of his own room, and besides, it’s not like he was actually planning on sleeping here. They only need to talk and sort things out. Maybe, if he’s lucky, a kiss? 

“Not at all!” Kai replies enthusiastically and grabs Molang with him before leaving the room. That was easy, weird.

Less than half an hour has passed when Taehyun enters the room wearing his pajamas, and he startles when he sees Beomgyu sitting cross-legged on his bed, cellphone in hand. 

“Oh, you’re here” Beomgyu looks up at him, putting his phone on the bedside table.

“I should be the one saying that” Taehyun replies admonishingly, but still cracks half a smile and takes a seat next to Beomgyu. “We have a lot to discuss”, he states with a sigh, like he’s already tired just thinking about it.

“I guess we do, where do you want to start?” Beomgyu feels nervous despite himself, having everything out in the open does not make this conversation easier.

“The dream thing” Taehyun decides, but then, “And last night, too”.

“Last night? I’m not sure what you mean... what do you want to know about the _dream thing_ though?”

“Don’t mock me. Explain it to me, I feel like I’m going crazy and I need to know just what exactly is true and what is something that I made up in my head. And one thing at the time, please, let’s leave last night for later” Taehyun sighs and moves a little closer to him like he can’t wait to get rid of the space between them.

“Ok, ok.” He takes a moment to put his thoughts in order, “You know how I… sleep a lot? No, that’s not right. This is harder than I thought” He admits sheepishly. 

“Take your time” Taehyun looks at him differently now, almost softly? And Beomgyu’s heart skips a beat when he feels the younger’s hand pressing against his own. He takes a deep breath and starts again. He can do this.

“When I was young I’d spend a lot of time sleeping because it would feel just like being awake, but with endless possibilities, since I could control small and big things in them, like lucid dreaming.” He explains looking ahead since it feels odd looking at Taehyun after everything that’s happened today. “As I grew up, I realized my dreams were not my own, but from the people around me. I think I’ve always been able to do this, visit people in their dreams, I mean.”

“I see” Taehyun actually seems to understand him, which just amazes Beomgyu even more. When will this guy stop being exactly what he needed in his life? He’s unreal. “So you’ve actually been sharing dreams with me… for years now”

“Yes, or to some extent, is not always you. But if you’re seeing me in your dreams is most likely _me_ being there, and not your imagination, I guess?”

“Hm, ok. The members too?”

“Of course, I have seen quite a lot of you. Nothing too personal, I think. Dreams are mostly irrational, anyway. I just keep you company, even though I have no choice”

“You don’t?”

“Not really, I’ve never had a dream of my own.”

“Wow, that’s so weird”

“That’s… that’s what you find weird about this?!”

They both start laughing at the absurdity of it all. 

After a moment of silence, Beomgyu decides to speak up again:

“Can I ask a question, too?”

“Sure” Taehyun agrees easily.

“How did you know?” 

Taehyun brings his hand to his face to scratch his jaw while he thinks about his answer, and Beomgyu instantly misses their hands touching.

“I guess now we talk about last night. Which I’m guessing you don’t remember much of”

“I apparently don’t?”

“Maybe you were too tired, I don’t blame you. Especially now that I know for certain that you were there with me” His eyes are shining when he looks at him, “What you said, right before you fell asleep is what made me realize.”

“You figure everything out with just one thing I said?! You are unfairly smart, you know that, right?”

“Maybe, maybe I’m just really gullible. Not that I don’t believe you now, but the fact that my mind decided that _that_ was a logical explanation seems… so stupid, in retrospect. And I got so worked up about it too” He covers his face behind his hand, and Beomgyu finds it oddly endearing. He takes Taehyun’s hand on his own only to bring it down. He smiles at him and doesn’t let go.

“And what did my sleep-deprived, scared to death self, said exactly?” He tries to joke, but the mood is too mellow and it lacks bite.

“That your crush would also like you better if you were braver”

“Oh my god”

“Yeah”

“Oh my god”

“You’re repeating yourself”

“Taehyun-ah, how did you even manage to come up with the truth with that? God, I’m so dumb sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?”

“Shut it, you were pretty dumb too today. What was that about me pitying you, huh?”

Taehyun blushes a pretty pink.

“It’s not my fault, once I realized that the dream version of yourself to which I was confiding all of my secrets was _actually you_ , I just… I could not unsee it? I told you I had a crush on you thinking you were not you”.

“That sounds so confusing, but do keep talking about how you like me”

“Shut up”

“I really like you too, you know? I was just a coward, and when I found out you liked someone it never crossed my mind that it could actually be me”

“You’re so dense, honestly. The same day that I asked if you would like me better if I caught bugs for you I told you I wanted to do it because of my crush”

“I realize that now, but I didn’t want to assume. You could have been asking with someone else in mind, you know”

“Hm, in your defense, I never really confessed as you told me I should”

“It’s not too late” Beomgyu feels so giddy he can’t help but laugh, what are the odds of being liked by the person you like? It’s almost a miracle, in his opinion. Even more so when he sees that Taehyun didn’t take his words as a joke and is actually going to follow through.

“Choi Beomgyu” Taehyun starts with a hint of a smile, “You’re insufferable. But, I really like the way you are with me, with the members, with everyone around you. I like how much of yourself you put into your work, I like that you’re so empathic and that you’re always making things more lighthearted and trying to bring the mood up. I like that you are a picky eater but still make an effort to try new things, and I like that you wear your heart on your sleeve. And most of all, I just like you. A lot”.

“Shi… You just wanted to make me cry, huh? Where did all of that romantic stuff even come from?” His eyes get teary without his permission, but he said it himself, he doesn’t stand a chance when Kang Taehyun is involved.

“Maybe, I hate crying alone. So, tell me, do you want to give us a chance?” Taehyun is actually teary-eyed himself, and Beomgyu giggles. At what, exactly? he isn’t sure, he’s just really happy.

“Of course I do” He whispers before leaning in, hoping for that first kiss that will turn Beomgyu’s curse into a blessing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually really proud of how this turned out, cheesy ending and all.  
> AAAAAHHH I'm glad some people took their time to read this, really, thank you.
> 
> There might have been a hint of Sookai in this since I started writing a little something about those two,  
> I don't know if I will actually post it, but its there.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed reading!! <3


	5. A little extra

The way he sees it, they should’ve been doing this ages ago. It’s just, the way Beomgyu brushes his lips against his own so lightly, in what could barely be considered a kiss, leaves him as satisfied as eager for more. So, he presses forward, pressing his mouth a little clumsily, taking Beomgyu’s lower lip between his own and making him shiver as he tilts his head to deepen the kiss. He never knew he could feel so much by so little, it seems kind of silly if you ask him, but maybe it’s the way the older is so careful with him that has him feeling this way. It shouldn’t feel so comfortable kissing him like this, laying on their sides, his breathing getting heavier as their hands fiddle between them, reaching for whatever its closest to grab. It’s kind of awkward too, the way he holds onto Beomgyu’s shirt like he can’t stand any distance between them but avoiding pressing into him at all.

They move so slowly, maybe scared of making mistakes and being inexperienced, but it’s good. He licks his lips when they part, Taehyun holding his gaze and noticing right away just how dilatated Beomgyu’s eyes are now. He wants to keep kissing him forever if he’s going to be looking at him like that after, but maybe they shouldn’t.

“Maybe we should stop... I mean, Hueningie will come back at any moment now” He admits reluctantly. They stare at each other, slowly coming back to reality. The silence stretches like that, with just the two of them openly basking at the moment and committing it to memory.

“Ah, I don’t think so” Beomgyu murmurs after a while, moving to lay on his back, “He said he was going to sleep in my room, he even grabbed his plushie before leaving” his eyes turn back to look at Taehyun’s lips, maybe replaying the kiss in his mind over and over just like Taehyun is right now.

Still, he nods understandingly and relaxes once again, lying half on top of Beomgyu. They should go to sleep though, considering the day they have ahead.

“I don’t get why he left though. I wasn’t planning on staying here, at first” Beomgyu admits, a little timid.

“Well, that’s because he likes him?” He says like it’s a question, but it’s actually pretty obvious.

“Likes who?” Beomgyu draws a blank, trying to figure out what Taehyun is implying. “You mean…” He waves his hand around. Taehyun nods, a small smile on his face. It’s always funny to see the realization dawn on Beomgyu’s face when he figures out something, no matter how small or big the thing is.

“That actually… makes so much sense!” He exhales, scratching the side of his nose while he looks up at the ceiling, “So that’s why he was so eager to leave us alone, huh?”

“Definitely, but it’s not like he’s going to admit it if you ask him” He snorts a laugh, entangling his legs with Beomgyu’s and pulling himself closer. The other barely reacts, immersed in his thoughts but accommodating to Taehyun either way, probably looking back to any hints of the maknae showing attraction to their leader in the past years. It’s so easy to understand how Beomgyu thinks sometimes, he’s like an open book to him. The only reason he didn’t figure out he liked him back before was because Taehyun himself was too blinded by his own feelings and was afraid he was projecting them into his friend. Huening Kai told him as much.

“But don’t you think Hueningie is too pure for Soobin?” Beomgyu brings him out of his thoughts. He thinks about correcting him about the lack of honorifics but decides against it, there’s no point.

Taehyun shakes his head vehemently, barely paying attention to the conversation as he’s trying to get comfortable enough to sleep. This is news for his boyfriend, but for him, it’s a daily struggle to try and get Huening Kai to finally make a move. At this point, Taehyun has realized he has a better chance of making Soobin do something about it, despite his previous assumptions.

“Wha-? No way, Huening Kai is the purest guy I’ve met, why don’t you agree?”

The younger just laughs in response, “He is, but not when it comes to hyung”. Beomgyu immediately sits up, making him roll to the side, he looks absolutely scandalized.

“What has he been telling you?!” He demands, no longer whispering.

“Please, I’m still trying to forget it” And that makes Beomgyu explode in laughter, disbelief all over his face.

“Oh my god, what?!”

“Stop being so noisy, I just want to get some sleep and cuddle with my boyfriend, is that too much to ask?” He complains only half-seriously, but it shuts Beomgyu up. The older bits his lip to stop a smile from spreading. He fails terribly.

“I like how that sounds”, he says softly as he settles back down into Taehyun’s bed, facing him.

“Is that so?” He closes his eyes, but still, he can feel Beomgyu staring at him and it makes it harder to fall asleep when Taehyun himself is smiling from ear to ear.

“Hm, dream about me, my lovely Taehyunie” the older whispers before turning off the bedside lamp.

“Oh, you… I hate you” Taehyun laughs incredulously and opens his eyes, pinching Beomgyu’s side “You’re so annoying. Of course, I’m going to dream of you, it’s not like I have a choice” he teases him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is something I wrote as a transition between this taegyu au and the sookai au I'm currently writing, at first it was a little drabble on its own but since its part of the story I decided to add it here heh <3


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